Trojans begin Gulf Shores Tournament 2-0
Published 3:00 am Tuesday, March 28, 2017
The Charles Henderson Lady Trojans began play in the Gulf Shores softball tournament with a 2-0 record on Monday morning.
The Trojans began the day with an 11-1 win over Dale County and followed that up with a tight 4-2 win over Vernon Hills in game two.
“Our girls competed today,” said Trojans head coach Robin Snyder. “They came out and hit the ball and made 95 percent of our routine plays. This is what we talk about doing every game.”
The Trojans scored in every inning but the second in game one on their way to an easy 10-run win over the Warriors.
Molly-Kate Sanders got the start for the Trojans and pitched all five innings of the shortened contest. Sanders allowed one unearned run on two hits and had five strikeouts.
The Trojans had five hits, led by Whittaka Lowery who went 2-4 and Sidney Armstrong who finished 2-3.
The Trojans took an early 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning when Lindsey Fox walked with the bases loaded to bring in Lowery. Rose Snyder drove in the second run of the inning when she hit a sacrifice fly to score Emma Kirkpatrick.
After the Warriors scored their lone run in the bottom of the first, the Trojans scored three runs in the third: the first of three consecutive three-run innings.
Fox had a two-run single, scoring both Kirkpatrick and Armstrong. Snyder later drove in her third run of the game with a sacrifice fly, scoring Fox to increase the Trojans lead to 5-1.
In the fourth inning, Kaitlyn Richardson, Lowery and Armstrong all scored on an error to give the Trojans an 8-1 lead.
The Warriors continued to provide the Trojans with gifts in the fifth inning. Fox scored the first run of the inning on an error, followed by Snyder. Alexis Turner closed out the scoring on a wild pitch.
Game two
The Trojans found themselves in an early deficit, but they were able to climb out and earn a comeback win.
Sanders took the ball as game two’s starter, but was quickly replaced by Kirkpatrick after facing just one batter. Kirkpatrick pitched five innings and allowed just one run on four hits and struck out one batter.
The Trojans finished with three hits by Fox, Gracie Williams and Sanders.
Vernon Hills jumped on the Trojans for two runs in the top half of the first, but the Trojans rebounded and took a 3-2 lead when Tucker Earles reached on an error to score Grayson Adams and Armstrong. Fox closed out the scoring in the inning with a double to drive in Earles.
The Trojans added an insurance run in the third when Sanders singled in Fox to give the Trojans a 4-2 lead.
The Trojans will be back in action in Gulf Shores this afternoon beginning at 3:30 when they take on Haleyville before closing out the day at 6:30 p.m.